Mount Rushmore >From Wikipedia,
Originally known to the _Lakota_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakota_people) _Sioux_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux) as Six Grandfathers, the mountain was renamed after _Charles E. Rushmore_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_E._Rushmore) , a prominent _New York_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York) lawyer, during an expedition in 1885._[8]_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mount_Rushmore&printable=yes#cite_note-8) At first, the project of carving Rushmore was undertaken to increase tourism in the _Black Hills_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills) region of South Dakota. After long negotiations involving a _Congressional_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress) delegation and President _Calvin Coolidge_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge) , the project received Congressional approval. The carving started in 1927, and ended in 1941 with no fatalities. As Six Grandfathers, the mountain was part of the route that Lakota leader _Black Elk_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk) took in a spiritual journey that culminated at _Harney Peak_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harney_Peak) . Following a series of _military campaigns_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Wars#Plains) from 1876 to 1878, the United States asserted control over the area, a claim that is still disputed on the basis of the 1868 _Treaty of Fort Laramie_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fort_Laramie_(1868)) Among American settlers, the peak was known variously as Cougar Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Slaughterhouse Mountain, and Keystone Cliffs. It was named Mount Rushmore during a prospecting expedition by Charles Rushmore, David Swanzey (husband of _Carrie Ingalls_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Ingalls) ), and Bill Challis. Historian _Doane Robinson_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doane_Robinson) conceived the idea for Mount Rushmore in 1923 to promote _tourism_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_the_United_States) in South Dakota. In 1924, Robinson persuaded sculptor _Gutzon Borglum_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutzon_Borglum) to travel to the Black Hills region to ensure the carving could be accomplished. Borglum had been involved in sculpting the _Confederate Memorial Carving_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain#Confederate_Memorial) , a massive _bas-relief_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bas-relief) memorial to _Confederate_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America) leaders on _Stone Mountain_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain) in _Georgia_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)) , but was in disagreement with the officials there. The original plan was to perform the carvings in _granite_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite) pillars known as the _Needles_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needles_(Black_Hills)) . However, Borglum realized that the eroded Needles were too thin to support sculpting. He chose Mount Rushmore, a grander location, partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to the sun. Borglum said upon seeing Mount Rushmore, "America will march along that skyline." _Congress_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress) authorized the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission on March 3, 1925. President Coolidge insisted that, along with Washington, two Republicans and one Democrat be portrayed. Between October 4, 1927, and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60 foot (18 m) high carvings of _U.S. presidents_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States) _George Washington_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington) , _Thomas Jefferson_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson) , _Theodore Roosevelt_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt) , and _Abraham Lincoln_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln) to represent the first 130 years of American history. These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found to be unsuitable, so the work on the Jefferson figure was dynamited, and a new figure was sculpted to Washington's left. In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction. Julian Spotts helped with the project by improving its infrastructure. For example, he had the tram upgraded so it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of workers. By July 4, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and was dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil-rights leader _Susan B. Anthony_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony) , but a _rider_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider_(legislation)) was passed on an appropriations bill requiring federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at that time. In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated. The Sculptor's Studio — a display of unique plaster models and tools related to the sculpting — was built in 1939 under the direction of Borglum. Borglum died from an _embolism_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embolism) in March 1941. His son, _Lincoln Borglum_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wi ki/Lincoln_Borglum) , continued the project. Originally, it was planned that the figures would be carved from head to waist, but insufficient funding forced the carving to end. Borglum had also planned a massive panel in the shape of the _Louisiana Purchase_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase) commemorating in eight-foot-tall gilded letters the _Declaration of Independence_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence) , _U.S. Constitution_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution) , Louisiana Purchase, and seven other territorial acquisitions from _Alaska_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_purchase) to _Texas_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Annexation) to the _Panama Canal Zone_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_Zone) . The entire project cost US$989,992.32. Notable for a project of such size, no workers died during the carving. On October 15, 1966, Mount Rushmore was listed on the _National Register of Historic Places_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) . A 500-word essay giving the history of the United States by _Nebraska_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska) student William Andrew Burkett was selected as the college-age group winner in a 1934 competition, and that essay was placed on the Entablature on a bronze plate in 1973. In 1991, President _George H. W. Bush_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush) officially dedicated Mount Rushmore. In a canyon behind the carved faces is a chamber, cut only 70 feet (21 m) into the rock, containing a vault with sixteen porcelain enamel panels. The panels include the text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, biographies of the four presidents and Borglum, and the history of the U.S. The chamber was created as the entrance-way to a planned "Hall of Records"; the vault was installed in 1998. Ten years of redevelopment work culminated with the completion of extensive visitor facilities and sidewalks in 1998, such as a Visitor Center, the _Lincoln Borglum Museum_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Borglum_Museum) , and the Presidential Trail. Maintenance of the memorial requires mountain climbers to monitor and seal cracks annually. Due to budget constraints, the memorial is not regularly cleaned to remove _lichens_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen) . However, on July 8, 2005, _Alfred Kärcher GmbH_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kärcher) , a German manufacturer of _pressure washing_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_washer) and steam cleaning machines, conducted a free cleanup operation which lasted several weeks, using pressurized water at over 200 °F (93 °C). -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
